John Chrysostom, What Kind of Wives Should Be Taken

the things of life are available, there is no gain. Then, so that they might not say, For what reason, then, did he not take one of the local women? He made me swear, he says, saying: You 51.239 shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, but you shall go to the house of my father, and to my tribe, and you shall take a wife for my son. But so that we might not seem to be tiresome by bringing the whole story into the middle, let us go to the end. For when he had said how he stood at the spring, how he asked the maiden, how she gave more than his request, how God became the mediator, and having reported everything with accuracy, he ended his speech with these things. When they had heard all these things, they no longer doubted, nor did they neglect anything, but as if God had moved their soul to this, they immediately promised the daughter to him. And Laban and Bethuel answered and said: This command has come forth from God; we will not, therefore, be able to speak against you with an evil word; behold Rebekah, take her and go, and she shall be wife to your master, as the Lord has spoken. Who would not be astonished? who would not marvel, at how many and how great were the obstacles that were removed in a brief moment of time? For indeed, his being a foreigner, and a servant, and unknown, and the great distance of the journey, and that neither the father-in-law, nor the bridegroom, nor anyone else of those belonging to her was known, and each of these things by itself was sufficient to prevent the marriage; but nevertheless nothing prevented it, but all these things were made easy, and as if to one who was an acquaintance and lived nearby, and had associated with them from the first day, so they, trusting him, handed over the bride; and the reason was, God was in the midst. For just as when we do something without him, even if everything is smooth and easy, we find chasms and cliffs and myriad failures in them; so when he is present and assists, even if the things at hand are most difficult of all, everything becomes smooth and easy. Therefore let us neither do nor say anything, before calling upon God and beseeching him to assist in all things in our hands, just as this man did. 9. But let us see, when he took her, in what manner he celebrated the marriage. Did he drag in cymbals and pipes and dances and drums and flutes and the other pageantry? None of these things, but taking her alone he thus departed, having with him the angel escorting her and traveling with her, whom his master had supplicated God to send with him as he went out from the house. And so the bride was led, having heard neither flutes nor lyres nor any of the other such things, but having myriad blessings from God upon her head, a crown more brilliant than any diadem. She was led, not clothed in golden garments, but in modesty and reverence, and hospitality, and all other virtue. She was led not in a covered carriage, nor with any other such pageantry, but sitting upon the camel. For along with the virtue in the soul, the bodies of virgins in ancient times also partook of great well-being. For mothers did not raise them thus, as they do now, with frequent baths, with anointings of perfumes, with powders for shading, with soft garments, corrupting them in myriad other ways, and making them softer than is proper, but they led them into all harsh training. For this reason the bloom of their bodies was very flourishing and genuine, since it was a natural thing, 51.240 and not man-made, nor artificial. For this reason they also enjoyed pure health, and their beauty was incomparable, with no illness troubling the body, but with all effeminacy cast out. For labors and hardships and doing things for oneself in all matters drove away all effeminacy, and provided robustness and health with great security. Wherefore also

ὑπάρχῃ τὰ βιωτικὰ, κέρδος οὐδέν. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ λέγωσι, Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐδεμίαν τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ἔλαβε γυναικῶν; Ὥρκισέ με, φησὶ, λέγων· Οὐ 51.239 λήψῃ τῷ υἱῷ μου γυναῖκα ἀπὸ τῶν θυγατέρων τῶν Χαναναίων, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός μου πορεύσῃ, καὶ εἰς τὴν φυλήν μου, καὶ λήψῃ γυναῖκα τῷ υἱῷ μου. Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ πᾶσαν τὴν ἱστορίαν εἰς μέσον φέροντες παρενοχλεῖν δόξωμεν, ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος ἴωμεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπε, πῶς ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς ἔστη, πῶς ᾔτησε τὴν κόρην, πῶς ἔδωκεν ἐκείνη πλέον τῆς αἰτήσεως, πῶς ὁ Θεὸς μεσίτης ἐγένετο, καὶ πάντα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἀπαγγείλας, κατέλυσεν ἐν τούτοις τὸν λόγον. Ταῦτα ἅπαντα ἀκούσαντες ἐκεῖνοι, οὐκέτι λοιπὸν ἀμφέβαλον, οὐδὲν ἠμέλησαν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτῶν εἰς τοῦτο κινήσαντος, εὐθέως αὐτῷ καθωμολόγησαν τὴν θυγατέρα. Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς Λάβαν καὶ Βαθουὴλ εἶπον· Τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦτο παρὰ Θεοῦ ἐξῆλθεν· οὐ δυνησόμεθα οὖν σοι ἀντειπεῖν κακόν· ἰδοὺ Ῥεβέκκα, λαβὼν ἀπότρεχε, καὶ ἔσται γυνὴ τῷ κυρίῳ σου, καθάπερ ἐλάλησε Κύριος. Τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη; τίς οὐκ ἂν θαυμάσειεν, ὅσα καὶ ἡλίκα κωλύματα ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ ἀνῃρεῖτο; Καὶ γὰρ τὸ ξένον εἶναι, καὶ οἰκέτην, καὶ ἀγνῶτα, καὶ πολὺ τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ διάστημα, καὶ τὸ μηδὲ τὸν κηδεστὴν, μηδὲ τὸν νυμφίον, μήτε ἄλλον τινὰ τῶν ἐκείνῃ προσηκόντων γνωρίζεσθαι, καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸ τούτων ἕκαστον ἱκανὸν ἦν κωλῦσαι τὸν γάμον· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲν ἐκώλυσεν, ἀλλὰ πάντα ταῦτα ἐξηυμαρίζετο καὶ καθάπερ γνωρίμῳ καὶ πλησίον οἰκοῦντι, καὶ ἐκ πρώτης ἡμέρας συναναστραφέντι, οὕτως αὐτῷ θαῤῥοῦντες ἐνεχείριζον τὴν νύμφην· τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ὁ Θεὸς ἦν ἐν μέσῳ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅταν χωρὶς αὐτοῦ τι ποιῶμεν, κἂν ἅπαντα ᾖ λεῖα καὶ ῥᾴδια, βάραθρα καὶ κρημνοὺς καὶ μυρίας ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀποτυχίας εὑρίσκομεν· οὕτως ὅταν παρῇ καὶ συνεφάπτηται, κἂν ἁπάντων ἀπορώτερα ᾖ τὰ προκείμενα, ἅπαντα λεῖα καὶ ῥᾴδια γίνεται. Μηδὲν οὖν μήτε ποιῶμεν, μήτε λέγωμεν, πρὶν ἢ τὸν Θεὸν καλέσαι καὶ παρακαλέσαι συνεφάψασθαι τῶν ἐν χερσὶν ἡμῖν ἁπάντων, καθάπερ οὖν καὶ οὗτος ἐποίησεν. θʹ. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὴν ἔλαβε, ποίῳ τρόπῳ τὸν γάμον ἐπετέλεσεν. Ἆρα κύμβαλα καὶ σύριγγας καὶ χοροὺς καὶ τύμπανα καὶ αὐλοὺς καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἐπεσύρατο φαντασίαν; Οὐδὲν τούτων, ἀλλὰ μόνην λαβὼν οὕτως ἀπῄει, τὸν ἄγγελον ἔχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ παραπέμποντα αὐτὴν καὶ συνοδοιποροῦντα, ὃν ὁ δεσπότης αὐτοῦ τὸν Θεὸν ἱκέτευσεν αὐτῷ συναποστεῖλαι ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας ἐξερχομένῳ. Καὶ ἤγετο λοιπὸν ἡ νύμφη αὐλῶν μὲν καὶ κιθάρας καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων οὐδενὸς ἀκούσασα, μυρίας δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τὰς εὐλογίας ἔχουσα, στέφανον διαδήματος παντὸς λαμπρότερον. Ἤγετο οὐ χρυσᾶ περιβεβλημένη ἱμάτια, ἀλλὰ σωφροσύνην καὶ εὐλάβειαν, καὶ φιλοξενίαν, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν ἀρετήν. Ἤγετο οὐκ ἐπὶ ὀχήματος καταστέγου, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ ἄλλης τινὸς φαντασίας τοιαύτης, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς καμήλου καθημένη. Μετὰ γὰρ τῆς ἀρετῆς τῆς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ τὰ σώματα ταῖς παρθένοις τὸ παλαιὸν πολλῆς μετεῖχε τῆς εὐεξίας. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως αὐτὰς ἔτρεφον αἱ μητέρες, καθάπερ τὰς νῦν, βαλανείοις πυκνοῖς, μύρων ἀλοιφαῖς, ἐπιτρίμμασι σκιαγραφίας, μαλακοῖς ἱματίοις, ἑτέροις μυρίοις διαφθείρουσαι τρόποις, καὶ τοῦ δέοντος μαλακωτέρας ποιοῦσαι, ἀλλ' εἰς ἅπασαν αὐτὰς ἤγαγον ἐκεῖναι σκληραγωγίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐταῖς καὶ τοῦ σώματος ἡ ὥρα σφόδρα ἦν εὐανθὴς καὶ γνησία, ἅτε φυσική τις 51.240 οὖσα, ἀλλ' οὐ χειροποίητος, οὔτε ἐπιτετηδευμένη. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὑγείας ἀπέλαυον καθαρᾶς, καὶ κάλλος αὐταῖς ἀμήχανον ἦν, οὐδεμιᾶς ἀῤῥωστίας ἐνοχλούσης τῷ σώματι, ἀλλὰ πάσης βλακείας ἐκβεβλημένης. Οἱ γὰρ πόνοι καὶ αἱ ταλαιπωρίαι καὶ τὸ ἐν ἅπασιν αὐτουργεῖν βλακείαν μὲν ἀπήλαυνε πᾶσαν, εὐρωστίαν δὲ καὶ ὑγείαν μετὰ πολλῆς παρεῖχε τῆς ἀσφαλείας. ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ